August has always had the reputation of providing plenty of wind and regrettably this year seems to be no different. After last weekends big blow and huge seas, early forecasts are for another blow from the south just in time for the two day break.

In the estuary, bream numbers remain quite reasonable, with the break walls and Limeburners in particular still worth a look. Best results continue to be achieved by those fishing the darker hours with either gut baits, mullet strips or yabbies, although lure enthusiasts using either crab imitations or soft vibes have been doing well throughout the day. Some nice flathead to around 2 kilos have continued to be caught over the past week, with prawns and mullet strips achieving the better results on the bait front. Those throwing lures are also doing well on the lizards, with around Settlement Point and the lower section of the Maria both work checking out. On the mulloway front, the break walls saw a few encounters over the past week, while a few smaller fish were also taken from around the Highway bridges. Lake Cathie is still producing a few whiting on either worms or yabbies, although they are generally not in the class often seen in that system. Those fishing after dark between the bridge and the ocean seem to be enjoying the better action.

Off the rocks, while last weekends conditions ruled out the vast majority of locations, as is always the case, the big seas did create opportunities where they don’t usually exist. Those who managed to seek such locations generally did quite well, with some terrific blackfish on offer as well as a sprinkling of bream and drummer. Looks for all these species to remain viable targets over the coming weeks, in addition to a few tailor at dawn or dusk. Groper will also be well worth targeting is and when we get a few westerly wind to flatten the swell right down.

For beach fisho’s, the big swell which arrived last weekend was certainly not welcome. Not only did it interrupt a great tidal phase, but many existing formations have been significantly flattened. Hopefully we will get a period of stable conditions shortly which will allow the beaches to reform. In the interim, best bet would be to chase a few bream around high tide on the shallow flats of Lighthouse or North Beach using either pipis or beach worms.

Little to report however on the offshore front, with the consistent winds and swells keeping most boats ashore nearly all week. This is a real shame as this time of year is terrific with our snapper season arguably at its peak and plenty of pearl perch about on most reefs. Wider out, deep water conditions are generally fine for those deep water dropping, while for game fisho’s chasing yellowfin is a viable option. Hopefully the conditions will settle again the not too distant future.